Sports fans of Reddit, what do you think is the most "clutch" moment in professional sports history?

By clutch I mean coming up big when it counts, like, scoring a goal in the dying seconds to win/tie the game, making a big save/stop or having a really large impact on a game.

Now I suspect most comments will be about the biggest sports, and that's fine, but I'm open to checking out other, smaller sports too. Also I think that in "big" games (ex. Champions League Finals, Superbowl, Stanley Cup etc.) is where the clutch moments truly happen, but if you think there is a big moment in a smaller game feel free to share.

I remember as a early teen thinking that we were going to lose to Russia, and as a huge hockey fan I seriously was going to lose my shit, then it motherfuckin' happened. I lost my shit in a better way, like screaming as loud as I could, and jumping up and down.

Hard to compare between sports but for swimming I'll throw out the Men's 4x100 Free Relay at the 2008 Olympics. Can't get a bigger stage than the Olympics and overall the US team won the gold medal and set the world record by almost 4 seconds.

But what makes it clutch is the final swimmer Jason Lezak who overtook French team anchor Alain Bernard (the world record holder in the 100-meter freestyle going into the relay) despite Bernard having nearly a full body length's advantage when Lezak started his leg and half a body length with 25 meters from the end. Lezak split a 46.06, the fastest 100-meter freestyle split in history, by nearly six tenths of a second.

This not only won gold, and set a world record but kept Michael Phelps' quest for 8 golds in one Olympics alive.

Came here to post this. I watched this on tv in 2008 (live) and it was surreal. The video is great whenever you need a burst of inspiration. I also met Lezak in 2012 and he was really awesome in person :)

The sports moment I remember the most is the 2001 World Series. Louis Gonzalez with the blooper to win it off of Mariano Rivera. Rivera is by far and away the greatest closer of all time and Gonzalez will go down as nothing more than a side note. I'm not a Diamondbacks fan or even a baseball fan for that matter, but thinking about that moment gives me chills.

Man city 2-1 down on the last day of the season, few minutes to go, man utd had won their game, so city needed to score two goals, they get it back to 2-2 then in the last minute Sergio Aguero gets the ball and fires it into the back of the net. Amazing moment

1994 Eastern Conference Finals. New York Rangers are down 3 games to 2 to the New Jersey Devils. Mark Messier gets interviewed and highlights the importance of the game - and says that the Rangers will win tonight.

The headline in the Post literally read "We'll Win Tonight".

Rangers are getting absolutely outplayed to all hell on the ice, fall down 2-1 going into the third period - and it really should have been worse.

Messier takes matters into his own hands and puts up a hat trick in the third period. He called his shot and then delivered it. Clutch as fuck.

Came here to say this. Game 6 of the 2011 World Series may be the most clutch performance by a team in all of sports.

Championship on the line, down to the final strike, take it into extra innings on crazy clutch hitting, end it on a walk off to deep center. David Freese is seen as the hero, but the amount of clutch hitting to get to his homerun in extra innings also cannot be overlooked.

Oh it has to. Spurs win the championship if that shot doesn't go down. And he had the presence of mind to take that quick jump step back behind the line before getting the shot off! That is not an easy shot.

Either Game 7 of the Eastern conference quarter finals when the Bruins played the Maple Leafs and scored 3 goals and eventually won in overtime. Or TJ Oshie scoring all those shootout goals in the Olympics

Landon Donovan's goal that put the US through to the next round of the 2010 World Cup. IIRC Jozy Altidore took a nice shot but it didn't go in. At that point all US fans collectively sighed in disbelief and sadness. But here comes Donovan not a second later and puts it in the back of the net. And the US just loses it. Its great because we felt deep sadness and pure ecstasy in under 3 seconds.

David Freese's walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. That whole game, actually. The Rangers were one strike away from winning the World Series TWICE, and the Cardinals just refused to quit. As a St. Louis fan, that moment still gives me shivers.

The entire offensive line was holding, the pass wasn't on the money and the WR made a lucky catch.

Tyree never had a reception in the NFL again.

Is that really the definition of clutch or dumb luck?

Likewise, I can cite the "Miracle in Missouri" when #1 Nebraska was losing on the road at the end of regulation and threw a pass into the end zone that was off the mark. A falling receiver kicked the ball into the air, where it was caught by another receiver to force overtime (where Nebraska won and preserved a perfect, national title season. Is that being clutch, or dumb fucking luck?

I'm not a fan of any particular NFL team. I'm a college football fan. If anything, I hated Brady in the first few years of his career because of statements he made while at Michigan. Though, I've come to respect him over time as a HoF QB.

Again, my point stands that there is a difference between clutch and dumb luck. A receiver who was never very good and literally never had a reception again in the NFL somehow traps a ball on his helmet and that is the definition of clutch?

Nobody has really mentioned women's sports, but the US women's national team's win in 2011 against Brazil was pretty miraculous. They had been losing all of extra time, and in the stoppage time of the extra time after a Brazilian player got a yellow card for faking an injury and being carried off the field to waste time, they scored and won in PKs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLY16wmHdUk Aaron Boone, 11th inning, Tied game, Game 7, Yankees Vs Red Sox, ALCS, winner goes to World Series. He pinch hits and hits a walk-off home run and sends the Yanks to the World Series. I get goosebumps whenever I watch it haha.

Wakefield was crying in the clubhouse after the game. Part of the reason why he was one of the first guys they gave the trophy to when they won the next year. He was nothing but a class act, and no Red Sox fan ever blamed him for that home run or held it against him.

Kobe Bryant against the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Playoffs. He sent the game into overtime with a ridiculous shot and then followed that with the game winner right at the buzzer. Absolutely incredible.

Easily one of the greatest and most clutch moments in sports history. But if you're looking for a bigger stage, Didier Drogba in the 2012 Champions League Final was pretty clutch, tying goal in the 88th minute then the winning penalty in the last game he ever played for Chelsea.

Before Superbowl 47 ravens vs broncos 30 second left on click, third down and flacco launched it for like 70 yards and ties it. Amazing game!!!! They go on to win the game and Superbowl. Best game of football I've seen in years.

Bill Mazeroski's game 7 walk-off home run against the Yankees to win the 1960 Series is my personal favorite as a Pirates fan.

Also, Michael Thomas agueroing before Aguero in 1989 against the best team of the decade. Liverpool are ahead of Arsenal in the table by 3 points with one match left in the season: Liverpool hosting Arsenal. If Arsenal win by two, they equal Liverpool on points and goal differential and win on goals scored. Arsenal haven't even won at Anfield in 15 years, and no one's beaten Liverpool at home by two or more goals in 3 years. With 25 seconds left in injury time, Thomas scores the title winner (around 6:55 in that video). Pretty clutch.

Game 5 of the 04 western conference semi finals. Series is tied 2-2. Each team has won both their home games. Spurs at home this game. It's actually really close this time. Back and forth the whole way. You know how tense those games are. Any mis-step can kill you. Kobe hits to give the Lakers a 1 point lead.

Spurs have the ball with 5 and a half. Ginobli inbounds the ball to Tim Duncan near the foul line. He makes a really nice backdoor move to the basket. He was supposed to get the ball back and get a nice layup. He was so wide open. But he trips on the cut. Tim Duncan has no choice, steps back and falls away from the basket. Shaq was all over him. You couldn't have played better defense. It was crazy. I mean, I didn't even realize he could do things like that. He's not the most athletic guy on the court, but that was something that clutch guards would have a 50-50 shot at making. Back of the rim and in. 0.4 seconds on the clock.

At the time, as a Lakers fan it seemed like the game was over. The celebrating is electric. The look on the Lakers players faces is one of shell shock. What just happened? Kobe put us ahead. That shot was as contested as is humanly possible. TIM DUNCAN? He's a great and all, but that's not his type of thing at all.

0.4 seconds on the clock. Trent Tucker rule says that need atleast 0.3 seconds on the clock for a catch and shoot. Just illustrates how instant any play has to be.

Lakers call time out. Set up the offense. Get ready to inbound the ball. Spurs don't like the way things are set up and call time out. They reorganize their defense. Lakers look to inbound again. Can't get anybody open and use the last time out.

No more timeouts.

Derek Fisher and Karl Malone set a double screen for Kobe near the free throw line. Doesn't work, 2 people pop off and he's not open. Shaq rolls to the for a lob / tip, but he's boxed out. Malone isn't exactly the jump shooting type, much less a catch and shoot with somebody guarding him. No way to get the ball to Kobe. It's not like Shaq can tip slam or anything OVER anybody really; he can't win a jump ball. Derek Fisher isn't even an option. He's not a scoring threat. He's a facilitator. He rolls off the screen towards the ball. There's no way to get the ball to anybody else. There's no timeouts left. 5 second clock is winding down. Derek Fisher is the only option. He gets the inbound. Keeps going, turns in the air and just launches it.

Dude. Our house blew up. That shot. I still can't describe that moment, just the parts leading up to it.

Eli Manning's 4th quarter pass in the Super Bowl. He was rushed and there was just no way he wasn't getting tackled. He some how stepped around two or three defenders. One was pulling on his jersey and he managed to get the ball off. The receiver dove and caught the ball against his helmet with one hand while falling backwards. That play setup the game winning drive.

Watched this moment live, and every time I go back to it on youtube, I get chills. Every. Time. Just hearing Marv Albert and Steve Kerr as it all unfolds. Sure, Ray Allen has hit a plethora of clutch, amazing, shots, as the obvious Game 6 Finals, but never has anyone pulled something like this.

You're down what, like 8 points with half a minute left in the game. Someone comes up to you and says, "hey win me this game." T-Mac said sure.

"Here comes MacGrady, no time-outs remaining, MacGrady: FOR THE WIN!"

Just the way Steve Kerr shrieks in utter disbelief, and the camera close up on Tracy as he steps back, turns around and lets out the most badass, spine tingling display of emotion. It all makes me tear up sometimes. I know, it was a meaningless game in the long run, and I'm not even a rockets fan at all, but I was always a fan of T-Mac. So much potential in one guy but he just couldn't stay in a place that won it all.

Without a doubt one of the most amazing displays of "putting the team on his back" I have and will ever see. Amazing.

Also LeBron clearly pushed Tony Parker when he was driving in the final seconds. Tony was about to cut inside, blow right past him and lay it in until LeBron pushed him. I hate the spurs more than I hate the heat but that was some bullshit